Many business machines including copying apparatus have sheet feeding or transport mechanisms and assemblies therewith which operate semi-automatically, and the operator must manually insert each sheet being processed into an entrance end of the transport mechanism to be engaged and transported by the sheet transport mechanism through the work station. Since this manual feeding procedure is extremely time consuming and causes considerable delay, it would be desirable to have the sheets automatically inserted into the entrance end of the transport mechanism.
The term "sheet" as contemplated by the present invention is used to describe a single unprinted sheet, an original document, or a folded sheet such as an envelope.
"Sheet material" as used herein refers to paper, synthetic resin, metal foil and laminates.